DD n°1: The Pre-Dynastic era(3400BC and 3250BC)

In our game, the first two starting dates take place during what is called the pre-dynastic period. For a description of this period, the link is here:

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=114521447678261&id=10947340484...

To represent the pre-dynastic period, Egypt is in 3400BC completely divided. About forty territories were at war with each other, engaged in diplomacy and trying to survive in this conflict-ridden land. Egypt was divided culturally and religiously into Upper and Lower Egypt. This means that a quick conquest of all these lands will be difficult, let alone the maintenance of a state. But this may change. Indeed, while the Lower Egyptian pantheon is more tolerant, the Upper Egyptian pantheon operates on monolatry, meaning that each kingdom puts its patron deity above all other deities. The deities of the same pantheon are still treated a little better than the others. But this will change. Indeed, in 3400 BC, two factions are struggling for hegemony in Upper Egypt. Nagada who follows the god Set, and Nekhen who follows the god Horus. The victory of one of these factions, or the crushing of the two by a third faction, will turn the Upper Egyptian pantheon from monolatry to henotheism, which means that from now on, all the clergy of this pantheon are well treated, and the patron god is treated just a little better. This will then allow the Upper Egyptian factions not only to maintain their power more easily, but also to expand into other regions.

Meanwhile, Lower Egypt is already henotheistic, but the organisation of the land means that each faction has several neighbours. The way the two regions play is therefore clearly different. First of all because as long as the war between Nagada and Nekhen is not settled, the religious gameplay between the two regions has differences. And above all because the geographical organisation of the two regions is totally different. Lower Egypt is an arena where only the faction that knows how to handle diplomacy and war will be able to stand out. In Upper Egypt, a faction has never more than two neighbours, one to the north and one to the south.

By 3250 BC, the situation had changed greatly. In Upper Egypt there was now a powerful and centralised state enriched by precious metal mines. Lower Egypt is also unified, but is very decentralised and has not yet drained its swamps so much. Between the two lies Middle Egypt, caught between two powers wanting to expand. Upper and Middle Egypt will tend towards unification, it remains to be seen what the player will decide. Lower Egypt, on the other hand, will gradually centralise, having to face its tribal leaders.

Whether in 3400BC or 3250BC, the Middle Egyptian faction will at some point have the choice of founding their own culture between north and south. This will make the conquest and control of territories more difficult, but once Egypt is unified, it will accelerate the unification of the two pantheons and then the cultures into one pantheon and one culture.
All of this led to what is known as the Thinite Period that we will be seeing next week.